School board to ask county for $22M for next school year

Published: Monday, May 13, 2013 at 10:11 p.m.

Last Modified: Monday, May 13, 2013 at 10:11 p.m.

Henderson County Public Schools officials approved the district's preliminary local budget Monday, agreeing to ask the county for a little more than $22 million for the 2013-14 school year.

The school system is seeking $21.07 million for its local current expense fund and $1 million for capital projects. The school system also receives funding from the state and federal governments, and the three sources combined for a total budget of about $117 million this year.

The local expense request is about $370,000 more than the district received for the current school year, and the capital projects request is double what the district received for this year. Taken together, school officials are asking for an increase in county funding of $870,846.

The school board is required by law to submit a budget request to the county by May 15.

“I can't really give you a forecast of how this is going to develop,” School Board Chair Ervin Bazzle said of the county's reaction.

Board member Rick Wood said he was afraid they weren't asking the county for enough money to cover the many maintenance projects the district faces. Finance Director Kerry Shannon said the district has more than 2.2 million square feet of facilities to maintain.

“We're trying to be sensitive to the desires of the commissioners,” Superintendent David Jones said.

School board members also touched briefly on the issue of state funding. Gov. Pat McCrory's proposed state budget calls for a 1 percent salary increase for teachers, and while most of the school district's teachers are paid with state funds, school officials would need to provide the same increase for teachers paid out of local funds.

The estimated cost of those salary and benefit increases is $370,846, Shannon said, and is one of the reasons the school system asked for an increase in money from the county.

The governor's budget proposal also cuts almost in half the number of teacher assistants in the school system. The district could lose 77 positions, which Bazzle said would have “a significant effect.”

The school system has cut books, supplies and materials over the years, and “There aren't a lot of other things to cut other than people,” he added.

About $300,000 of the requested capital funds would go to buy 1,006 computers and related hardware for online testing mandated by the state, Rick Fender, the district's senior director for technology services, said during a budget workshop last month.

A proposed digital Device Purchase Plan calls for spending $307,500 in 2013-14 and $293,500 in 2014-15 to purchase laptops, iPads and iPad carts for the school system's middle and high schools.

Another $133,000 would fund school safety improvements, including electronic access doors and video cameras at all elementary and middle school entrances, Assistant Superintendent Bill Parker said during the workshop.

The remaining $567,000 would go toward changing out two antiquated boilers at Edneyville Elementary, replacing air conditioning at West Henderson High, re-roofing East Henderson High's chorus room and upgrading that school's stadium lights to meet N.C. High School Athletic Association minimum standards.

<p>Henderson County Public Schools officials approved the district's preliminary local budget Monday, agreeing to ask the county for a little more than $22 million for the 2013-14 school year. </p><p>The school system is seeking $21.07 million for its local current expense fund and $1 million for capital projects. The school system also receives funding from the state and federal governments, and the three sources combined for a total budget of about $117 million this year.</p><p>The local expense request is about $370,000 more than the district received for the current school year, and the capital projects request is double what the district received for this year. Taken together, school officials are asking for an increase in county funding of $870,846.</p><p>The school board is required by law to submit a budget request to the county by May 15.</p><p>“I can't really give you a forecast of how this is going to develop,” School Board Chair Ervin Bazzle said of the county's reaction.</p><p>Board member Rick Wood said he was afraid they weren't asking the county for enough money to cover the many maintenance projects the district faces. Finance Director Kerry Shannon said the district has more than 2.2 million square feet of facilities to maintain. </p><p>“We're trying to be sensitive to the desires of the commissioners,” Superintendent David Jones said.</p><p>School board members also touched briefly on the issue of state funding. Gov. Pat McCrory's proposed state budget calls for a 1 percent salary increase for teachers, and while most of the school district's teachers are paid with state funds, school officials would need to provide the same increase for teachers paid out of local funds.</p><p>The estimated cost of those salary and benefit increases is $370,846, Shannon said, and is one of the reasons the school system asked for an increase in money from the county. </p><p>The governor's budget proposal also cuts almost in half the number of teacher assistants in the school system. The district could lose 77 positions, which Bazzle said would have “a significant effect.”</p><p>The school system has cut books, supplies and materials over the years, and “There aren't a lot of other things to cut other than people,” he added.</p><p>“I am very against losing any TAs. It's going to devastate our students,” board member Amy Holt said.</p><p><b>Capital projects</b></p><p>About $300,000 of the requested capital funds would go to buy 1,006 computers and related hardware for online testing mandated by the state, Rick Fender, the district's senior director for technology services, said during a budget workshop last month.</p><p>A proposed digital Device Purchase Plan calls for spending $307,500 in 2013-14 and $293,500 in 2014-15 to purchase laptops, iPads and iPad carts for the school system's middle and high schools.</p><p>Another $133,000 would fund school safety improvements, including electronic access doors and video cameras at all elementary and middle school entrances, Assistant Superintendent Bill Parker said during the workshop.</p><p>The remaining $567,000 would go toward changing out two antiquated boilers at Edneyville Elementary, replacing air conditioning at West Henderson High, re-roofing East Henderson High's chorus room and upgrading that school's stadium lights to meet N.C. High School Athletic Association minimum standards.</p>